Mindfully Online Marketing on Days Like Father’s Day: What Your Brand Should Start Considering

Father’s Day and Mother’s Day. Those two calendar blips that marketers have long turned into major sales events, pushing everything from custom mugs to overpriced robes. But while your inbox fills up with “Don’t forget Dad!” emails and banner ads scream “Mom deserves diamonds,” not everyone is in the mood to celebrate.

Let’s be real, these holidays are not joyful for everyone. For some, they’re painful reminders of loss, strained relationships, infertility, grief, or complicated family dynamics, and when brands push out generic, high-volume marketing without considering that emotional weight? It can feel tone-deaf at best, and deeply hurtful at worst.

So here’s the truth marketers need to hear: just because a holiday exists doesn’t mean you have to center your campaign around it. In fact, a more sensitive, opt-in approach might be the key to building genuine brand trust and deeper customer loyalty.

Why Opt-Outs for Holiday Emails Matter (Like, A Lot)

First up: the email inbox. If you’re planning a Father’s Day or Mother’s Day campaign (or both,) please, please give your audience the chance to opt out of those communications.

Seriously. It takes one sentence and a simple link. Something like:

“We know these holidays can be tough. If you’d prefer not to receive Father’s Day emails this year, click here to opt out.”

It’s compassionate, considerate, and shows you care about your customers as people, not just potential purchases.

The response? Almost always overwhelmingly positive. Brands that have implemented this have received glowing feedback from subscribers thanking them for the option and for simply thinking about it.

Performative Marketing? We Don’t Know Her.

Let’s go ahead and throw this out there: if your brand never talks about family, parenting, or emotional wellness for the other 363 days of the year, then suddenly goes all-in on Mother’s Day because “it’s a thing”... people notice.

There’s a difference between creating content that feels relevant and supportive, and jumping on a holiday purely for profit. The latter feels disingenuous and can alienate customers who expect authenticity from the brands they support.

Ask yourself:

• Does your brand naturally fit into this conversation?

• Are you celebrating the day because you genuinely want to support your community, or just because you see dollar signs?

• Do you have something meaningful to contribute, or are you just yelling “25% OFF FOR DAD!” into the void?

If it’s the second one… maybe don’t.

Less Noise, More Respect

Hot take: people who want to celebrate Mother’s or Father’s Day? They’re going to celebrate. Trust that they’ll find the gifts they want to give, with or without your discount code.

In fact, with so much emotional noise around these holidays, some customers would actually prefer fewer reminders. A break from the inbox bombardment can feel like a breath of fresh air.

So instead of flooding feeds and inboxes with promos, maybe take a softer approach. Focus on helpful content. Offer meaningful stories or opt-in gift guides. Or… wild thought… say nothing at all. Sometimes silence is the most respectful strategy.

What Thoughtful Marketing Can Look Like

If you do choose to acknowledge these days, do it with heart. Here’s how to do that without coming across as exploitative:

Offer opt-out options for email subscribers

Tell real stories from your community or team

Use inclusive language, avoiding assumptions about family structure

Give back. Consider a charitable tie-in to support families dealing with grief, infertility, or other challenges

Don’t force it. If you don’t have anything thoughtful to say, it’s okay to sit it out

And always, always center empathy over sales.

In 2025, consumers are more emotionally intelligent and socially aware than ever. They don’t just want brands to be clever or trendy, they want them to be kind. Respecting the emotional realities of holidays like Mother’s Day and Father’s Day isn’t just “good PR,” it’s just good humanity.

So before you schedule that “Dad deserves this power drill” email, ask yourself: is this message necessary? Is it thoughtful? Does it reflect the values we want to be known for?

Because trust us, there’s no sale strong enough to justify making someone feel unseen, triggered, or emotionally dismissed. While we get that controlling one’s triggers is their responsibility, we can do our part to help lessen the need for that to happen.

In the end, the brands that stand out aren’t the loudest, they’re the ones that listen.